Vacuum cleaner accessory



Oct. 4, 1960 c. H. MacFARLAND VACUUM CLEANER ACCESSORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 3, 1958 INVENTOR ries H. MacFmrlwMd BY 7 I ATTORNEYS @diu 4, 1960 c. H. MaoFARLAND 2,954,652

VACUUM CLEANER ACCESSORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 3, 1958 'III C INVENTOR Charles LMacFarlmnd ATTORNEYS nited States @Patent l VACUUM 'CLEANER ACCESSGRY Filed Sept. 3,-1958, Ser. No. 758,859

8 Claims. (Cl. 51-241) This invention relates to rattachments for vacuum cleanersof the type having a fan casing with a vacuum opening for attaching a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt-receiving portion outside of the fan casing which may normally receive the driving belt of the rotary brushin the vacuum nozzle.

It has previously been proposed to provide attachments for vacuum cleaners of the above type which enable the motor of the vacuum cleaner to be utilized for driving tool attachments. An example of such a previously proposed attachment is shown in U.S. Patent 2,563,541.

In attachments of the general type to which the invention relates, it is necessary to provide for the engaging anddisengaging of a power belt to be driven by the fan shaft projecting through the vacuum opening of thefan casing of the vacuum cleaner. To this end there have previously been provided belt lifters,one such belt lifter being illustrated in the patent referred to above. While such belt lifters have accomplished their desired purpose, they have been somewhat inconvenient to use in connection with non-twisted drive belts. Either the lifter is so wide as to rub against the courses of the belt in retracted position of the lifter or in lifting position ofthe lifter the belt is not sufficiently spread to accomplish easy application of the attachment to the vacuum cleaner without troublesome snubbing and snagging of the belton the fan shaft of the vacuum cleaner.

= An` object of the present invention is to provide an attachment device which utilizes a non-twisted power `belt which is more readily and conveniently operatively engaged and disengaged with the vacuum cleaner than attachments of this type which have previously been provided which employ non-twisted drive belts.

In attachments of the type to which the invention relates, it is also highly desirable to provide a `drive for tools which need not be mounted within the rigid structure of the attachment itself, but which may be powered by the vacuum cleaner motor through a flexible shaft s0 that they may be conveniently manipulated and used at positions remote from the vacuum cleaner. Another objectof the present invention is to provide a flexible power shaft so related to the vacuum cleaner attachment proper thatit may be readily associated and disassociated therewith and with the vacuum cleaner and may itself require no bearing at its adjacent end thereby effecting a substantial' cost saving in the accomplishment of the desired 4overall result.

While particular apparatus embodying the invention is illustrated in order that the invention may be readily -understood, some of the details of the illustrated apparatus are not necessary to the invention and changes, modifications and improvements may be adapted without defined in the appended claims.

2,954,652 Patented Oct. 4, 1960 ice In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a vacuum cleaner with the attachment of the present invention thereon.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the attachment and a portion of the fan casing, taken from the planes of line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a partially broken away detail View similarto the central portion of Figure 1.

'Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view taken from the plane of line 4 4 in Figure l.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partially broken away, showing the structure of the upper right hand portion of Figure 2 viewed from a different radial direction, a portion of the structure being shown in phantom for purposes of clarity.

Figure 6 is a detail cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure ,5, the view being taken from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft seen in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion only of the structure shown in Figure 5, the view being taken from a plane parallel to the axis of the shaft seen in Figure 5 but different than the plane of Figure 5.

Figures 8 and 9 are detail views, partially broken away, of tool driving and mounting means adaptedto be associated with the opposite end of the flexible power shaft, one end of which is shown in Figure 5.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as' applied to a vacuum cleaner of conventional construction including a fan casing 10 having a vacuum opening 11 (Figure 2) which is normally used .for the attachment of a 'vacuum nozzle and also having a fan shaft 12 which projects forwardly or outwardly through the vacuum opening 11 and which has a belt-receiving portion `13 which normally receives the driving belt of the rotary brush in the vacuum cleaner nozzle.

The attachment has a housing generally indicated by the reference numeral 20 which includes a base casting 21, a secondary casting 22 and a detachable guard or shield 23. The casting 22 is fixed to the casting 21 by means of the bolt 24 and additional bolts which cannot be seen in Figure 2. AThe guard 23 is releasably retained by detents 2,8` (Figure 4).`

The housing Z0 includes an `attaching portion generally indicated'by the reference numeral 25 and a tool shaft mounting portion generally indicated by the reference numeral 26. The attaching portion 25 is adapted to be received in registered relationship with the vacuum opening 11.

A pair of lugs 30 on the vacuum cleaner structure support a horizontal rod 31 which extends a short distance below the Vacuum opening 11 of the fan casing. The attaching portion 25 of the attachment housing has laterally spaced, downwardly extending lugs 32 provided on their undersides with recesses adapted to receive the rod 31. On the upper side of the attaching portion 25 there is an upwardly projecting flange 33 which is adapted to be engaged by a locking detent or cam 35 to releasably lock the attachment to the vacuum cleaner.

The tool shaft mounting portion 26 is laterally offset from the attaching portion 25 and has mounted therein a tool shaft 40 which extends in a direction parallel to the fan shaft 12. The tool shaft40 is jo-urnalled on a pair of bearings or bushings 41 and 42 which are spaced along the length of the shaft 49 and which are supported .in the housing 20 and directly on the base casting 21, the bearing 42 being supported by an arm element 43 which forms part of the base casting 21.

The feeding end of the tool shaft 40 may mount various tools such as a grinding wheel 36 and blade sharpening discs 37. These parts may be made more` such as the opening 38 and the slot 39. The suction created by the vacuum fan tends to draw air inwardly through the openings .R38 and 39 to exhaust all loose particles created by grinding or similar operations of tools mounted on the shaft 40.

, At least one of the tool shaft bearings, namely the bearing 41, is located at an end of the shaft 40 and such` end of the shaft is provided With an insert element 44 (Figure which ha-s formed therein -a concentric socket 45 (Figuros 5 'and 6).

The structure in-the vicinity of the bearing 41 is re-` ceived in a boss 46 which forms part of the housing 20 extending rearwardly therefrom. The boss 46 has formed thereon bayonet attachment'lugs 49. The boss 46 is concentric with the tool shaft 40. Received in the open end of the boss 46 is a protective member 47 (Figure 7) which has a hole 48 formed in the Vcenter thereof in alignment-with the socket 45. It will be understood that the socket faces yor is open to the exterior of the hlousing, access to the socket 45 from the exterior of the housing 2,0 being through the hole 48 when the protective member 47 is in place.

Adapted to be operatively associated with the tool shaft 40 is a flexible power shaft genenally indicated by the reference numeral 50 and including a flexible casing 51 and a flexible core v52. A sleeve 53 is attached to the flexible casing 51 through an intermediate sleeve 54. A ribbed plastic cover 55 and plastic boot 56 cover the exible power shaft adjacent the sleeve 53 to provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior. The ribbed vinyl casing 55 may extend to the open end of the flexible power shaft if desired. The sleeve 53 is provided with bayonet type detents 58 which are adapted to interengage with the lugs 49 when the sleeve 53 is received in a mating relationship on the boss 46 as shown in Figure 5.

The exible core 52 is provided with a small retainer member 60'which, through a washer 61, reacts against the sleeve 54 to prevent the flexible core 52 from being pulled axially inwardly and which reacts against the stamping 63 (to be described below) to prevent the flexible core frombeing pulled' vaxially outwardly. The associated end of the liexible core 52 is formed las a socketengaging portion 62, such portion being formed as illustrated, for example, by simply flattening the sides of the flexible core 52 so that a square cross section of small dimension is provided. Y

It will be apparent that the sleeve 53 and the core end 62 are simultaneously receivable in mating relationship on the boss 46 and in the socket 45, respectively, so that the end bearing to rotatably support the flexible core 52 is vprovided by the bearing 41. The bayonet lugs 49 on the boss 46 and the bayonet detents 58 of the sleeve 53 are releasably held in interengaged position by .the thrust of the leaf spring stamping 63 which resiliently urges apart the end of the boss 46 lor the face of the protective member 47 and the lateral ange of the sleeve 53. The leaf spring stamping 63 is held in place by engagement with ,small ridges 64 formed in the sleeve 53.

The opposite end of the casing 51 of the flexible power shaft 50 is xed to a handle 70, the exible core 52 being adapted to be engaged with either straight or tool heads such yas that shown in Figure 9 or angled tool heads such as the right-angle tool head shown in Figure 8.

Shown in Figure 9 in ixed association with the handle 70 are a sleeve 74 and* aninner bearing or bushing'71 xed ,to the sleeve 74. The shank of a tool' head, such as the shank 75 shown in Figure 9, may be received in the bearing ,or bushing 71 and may have iixedly associated therewith an insert or socket member 76 adapted to intererlgage with the flexible core .52. T Ifhe yopposite and of the .shank 75 is `threaded to .serve `as the tool spindle. An internally threaded sleeve 77 is free to rotate relative to the shank 75 but is held thereon by pins 78 and a shoulder of the nut portion 79 and is adapted to be threadedly engaged with the sleeve 74 to retain the tool in position.

Another suitable tool mounting shown in Figure 8 includes a shank 85 having an insert or sleeve 86 adapted to receive the flexible core 52. The shank 85 is rotatably mounted within a housing V87 together with an associated spindle shaft 88, the shafts 85 andV 88 being diivingly interengaged by bevel gears as shown. The housing 87 has an internally threaded boss 89 adapted to be threadedly engaged on the sleeve 74.

The illustrated attachment is intended to be powered from the vacuum cleaner fan shaft 12 by means of a belt running from lthe fan shaft to the tool shaft 40 Within the tool shaft mounting portion 26. To this end a belt 90 is provided which runs around the tool shaft 40 in driving relationship therewith, driving being accomplished in the illustrated case through a pulley 91. The 'belt extends to the attaching portion 25 of the housing and is provided with a belt lifter generally indicated at 9,2 (Figure 2) to free the belt 90 from the drive portion 13 of the fan shaft 12 when it is desired to remove the attachment and to position the belt 90 for ready and easy insertion on the portion 13 of `the shaft 12 when it is desired to operatively aix the attachment to the vacuum cleaner. The kbelt lifter 92 may include a handle 93, a pivot shaft or rivet 94, an arm 95 and a lifter finger 96. The lifter ynger 96 extends within the belt and is offset from the pivot axis 94. The Iaxis of the pivot shaft 94 is offset from the axis of the fan shaft 12 so that when the finger ^96 is shifted about its pivot 94 to diametrically opposed positions on opposite sides of the fan shaft, the angle through which the handle 93, arm 95 and finger 96 swing is other than 180. The lifter nger has a long dimension which in Figure 3 is its vertical dimension and a short dimension which in Figure 3 is its lateral dimension. The finger is movable from the first positionshown in Figure 1 between the fan shaft and the tool shaft where the lon-g dimensi'on is vrelatively less divergent to the courses of the belt to the second diametrically opposed position shown in Figure 3 upon the opposite side of the fan shaft 1'2 where the long dimension is relatively more divergent and in fact in the illustrated case is substantially perpendicular to the courses of the belt. Thus, it will be understood that in the first position shown in Figure 11, the belt lifter finger avoids all contact with the belt and no rubbing or frictional wear occurs between these members, but in the second position shown in Figure 3, the belt is nevertheless lifted from the fan shaft in such a manner as to accomplish Ia relatively wide spread between the courses of the belt so that the belt is supported in a position for ready removal from the fan shaft 12 and is ready for the reception of the fan shaft 12. The handle 93 may be stopped at its on and olf positions by a small abutment or shoulder 97 formed on the secondary housing portion 22.

The above description of the invention should-make it apparent that many details of the apparatus embodying the invention may be varied without departing from .the teaching of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not to be limited to precise details of the specifically disclosed embodiments but is to be defined by the following claims. v'

What is claimed is:

1. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having `a fan casing with a vacuum opening for attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a nfan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageable in said 'vacuum opening -in surrounding spaced relationship with said fan shaft, and a tool shaftrmounting portion laterally offset from said attaching portion, a tool shaft mounted vin said tool .shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, said tool shaft bemg journalled on a pai-r of bearings which are spaced along the length of said shaft and which are supported 1n' said housing, vat least one of said bearings being at an en d of said shaft, said end of said shaft having a concentric socket formed therein, said socket being open t the exterior of said housing, a boss on said housing concentric with said shaft, a exible power shaft including a flexible casing and a flexible core within said casing, a sleeve attached to said casing at one end of said power shaft, a socket engaging portion on said core at the same end of said power shaft, said sleeve and said core end being simultaneously receivable in mating relationship on said boss and in said socket respectively, releasable detent means for maintaining said sleeve on said boss, and tool lcoupling means at the opposite end of said fiexible cable, a `belt running around said tool shaft in driving relationship therewith, said belt extending to said attaching portion of said housing, a belt lifter mounted on said housing to pivot about an axis offset from the axis of the fan shaft, and having a lifter finger extending within said belt and offset from said pivot axis, said finger having along dimension and a short dimension, said finger being movable about said pivot axis from a first position bet-Ween the fan shaft and the tool shaft where said long ndimension is relatively less divergent to the courses of said belt to a position upon the opposite side of the fan shaft where said long dimension is relatively mo-re divergent to :the courses of said belt.

2. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having fa fan casing with a vacuum opening for attachment of a vacuum nozzle vand a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has la belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attachingportion engageable in said vacuum opening in su-rrounding spaced relationship with said fan shaft, and a tool shaft mounting portion laterally offset from said attaching portion, a tool shaft mounted in said tool shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, said tool shaft being journalled on a pair of bearings,'means for associating tools for `driven relationship rwith said tool shaft includinga flexible power shaft having a liexible casing and a exible core, said fiexible core being concentrioally receivable in said tool shaft and interiorly of one 0fA said tool shaftbearings, va belt running around said tool shaft in driving relationship therewith, said belt extending to said attaching portion of said housing, a belt lifter including a lifter finger extending within said belt and having a llong dimension and a short dimension, and means for pivotally mounting said lifter finger for shifting between diametrically opposite sides of said fan shaft about an axis offset from that of the fan shaft whereby the divergency of said long dimension of said lifter linger with respect to the courses of said belt changes with said shifting.

3. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a vacuum opening for attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageable in said vacuum opening in surrounding spaced relationship with said fan shaft, and a tool shaft mounting portion laterally offset from said attaching portion, `a tool shaft mounted in said tool shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, means for mounting tools for driven relationship with said tool shaft, a belt running around said tool shaft in driving relationship therewith, said belt extending to said attaching portion of said housing, a belt lifter mounted on said housing to pivot about an yaxis offset from the axis of the fan shaft, and having a lifter finger extending within said belt and offset from said pivot axis, said finger having a long dimension and a short dimension, said finger being movable about said pivot axis from a first position between the fan shaft and the tool shaft where said long d dimension `is relatively less divergent to the coinses of said belt to a position upon the opposite side of the fan shaft where said long dimension is relatively more divergent to the courses of said belt, whereby in saidfirst position rubbing of the belt and belt lifter is avoided but in said second position the belt is lifted from the fan shaft and its courses are spread apart by said long dimension to support the belt in a position for ready removal and future reception ofthe fan shaft.

4; An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a vacuum opening for attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageable in said vacuum opening in surrounding spaced relationship with said fan shaft, and a tool shaft mounting portion laterally offset from said attaching portion, a tool shaft mounted in said tool shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, said tool shaft being journalled on a pair ,of bearings, means for associating tools for driven relationship with ysaid tool shaft including -a flexible power shaft having a fiexible casing and a flexible core, said fiexible core being concentrically receivable in said tool shaft and interiorlyof one of said tool shaft bearings, a belt running around said tool shaft in driving relationship therewith, said belt extending to said attaching portion of said housing, a belt lifter mounted on said housing to pivot about an axis offset from the axis of the fan shaft, and having a lifter finger extending within said belt and offset from said pivot axis, said finger having a long dimension and a short dimension, said linger being movable from a first position between the `fan shaft and the tool shaft Where said long dimension is relatively less divergent to the courses of said belt to a position upon the opposite side of the fan shaft where said long dimension is relatively more divergent to the courses of said belt, whereby in said first position rubbing of the belt and belt lifter is avoided but in said second position the belt is lifted from the fan shaft and its courses are spread apart by said long dimension to support the belt ina position for ready removal and future reception of the fan shaft.

5. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a vacuum opening for attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageable in said vacuum opening in surrounding spaced relationship with said fan shaft, and a tool shaft mounting portion laterally offset from said attaching portion, a tool shaft mounted in said tool shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, means for mounting tools for driven relationship with said tool shaft, a belt running around said tool shaft in driving relationship therewith, said belt extending to said attaching port-ion of said housing, a belt lifter mounted on said housing to pivot about an axis ofiset from the axis of the fan shaft, and having a lifter finger extending within said belt and offset from said pivot axis, said finger having a long dimension and a short dimension, said finger being movable about said pivot axis from a first position between the fan shaft and the tool shaft in which first position said long dimension is relatively less divergent to the courses of said belt to the diametrically opposite second position upon the other side of the fan shaft in which second position said long dimension is relatively more divergent to the courses of said belt, whereby in said first position rubbing of the belt and belt lifter is avoided but in said second position the belt is lifted from the fan shaft and its courses are spread apart by said long dimension to support the belt in a position for ready removal and future reception of the fan shaft.

6. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a vacuum opening fior attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageahle in said vacuum opening in surrounding spaced relationship with said `fan sha-ft, and a tool .shaft mounting portion laterally offset from Said attaching portion, a toojl shaft mounted in. said ,tool shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, said tool shaft being iournalled on a pair of bearings which are spaced along the length of said shaft and which are supported in said housing, at least one of said bearings being'at an end of said shaft, said end of said shaft having a concentric socket formed therein, said socket being open to the exterior of said housing, a boss on said housing concentric with said shaft, a flexible power Ashaft including a flexiblecasing and a exible core within said casing, a sleeve attached to said casing at one end of said ilexible `power shaft, a socket engaging portion on said core at the same end of said power shaft, said sleeve and said core end being simultaneously receivable in mating relationship on said boss and in said .socket respectively, releasable detent means for maintaining said sleeve on said boss, tool coupling means at the .opposite end of said iiexible cable, a belt running around sa-id tool shaft in driving relationship therewith, said `belt extending to said attaching portion of said housing.

7. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a vacuum opening for attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageable in said vacuum opening in surrounding spaced relationshipwith said fan shaft, and a tool shaft mountf ing portion laterally offset from said attaching portion, a tool shaft mounted in said tool shaft port-ion in parallelism with said fan shaft, said tool shaft being journalled on a pair of bearings, moans for associating tools for driven relationship with said tool shaft including a flexible power shaft having a exible casing and a flexible core, said flexible core being concentrically receivable in said tool shaft and interiorly of one of said tool shaft bearings, cooperating releasable detent means fxedly associated with each of the following: (l) one end of said exible casing and (2) said tool shaft mounting portion of said housing, whereby interengagement of said eo` operating detent means achieves releasable coupling of said iexible core and said tool shaft and alsoachieves radial spacing of said .one end of said 'flexible casing with` respect to said flexible core, and a belt running around said tool shaft in driving relationship therewith,

said belt extending to said attaching portion'of -said housing v8. An attachment for vacuum cleaners ofthe type having a fan easing with a vacuum opening vfor attachment of a vacuum nozzle and a fan shaft that projects through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having an attaching portion engageable in said -vacuum opening in surrounding spaced relationship with said fan shaft, and a tool shaft mounting portion'laterally oifset from said attaching portion, a tool shaft mounted in said tool shaft portion in parallelism with said fan shaft, said tool shaft being 'journalled on a pair of bearings which are spaced along the length of said shaft and which are supported in Said housing, at least one of `said bearings being at an end of said shaft, said end of said shafthaving a concentric socket formed therein, said Socket being open to the exterior of said housing, a boss on said housing concentric .with said shaft, a flexible power shaft including a exible casing and a flexible core within said casing, a'sleeve attached to said easing at one end of said -tiexible power shaft, a socket engaging portion on said core at the same end of Said power shaft, said sleeve and said core end being simula taneouslv receivable in mating relationship ou said boss and in said socket respectively, releasable detent means for maintaining said sleeve on said boss, tool coupling means at the opposite end of said flexible cable, a belt running around said tool shaft in driving relation therewith, said belt extending to said attaching portion of said housing, a belt lifter including a lifter finger extending within said belt and having a long dimension and a short dimension, and means for pivotally mounting said lifter finger Vfor shifting between dametn'cally opposite Sides of said fan shaft about an axis offset from that of the fan shaft whereby the divergency of said long dimension of said lifter iinger with respect to the courses of ,said belt. changes with said shifting- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Iune '6, 1929 

